The Truth Within the Truth
by Percabethforev16
Summary: This is a crossover between Fullmetal Alchemist, Brotherhood, and Fullmetal Alchemist the Conquerer of Shambala. When the portal starts opening in Brotherhood universe, 18 years after Father was killed, Ed, Winry, Al and Mei are pulled in. But someone else takes their place. The Elric brothers of FMA universe appear in Brotherhood Central Command. Edwin, Royai, and AlxMei.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello readers! This is my first FMA story, but I love the series so much(though I like Brotherhood better)! If you have not seen the movie after Fullmetal Alchemist, I would recommend doing that before reading this. Anyway, in this the Portal of Truth in Brotherhood universe is different than the gate in Fullmetal Alchemist universe. Just to be clear, they take people different places. I'm writing this off the Anime, not the Manga, and below is a key to all the different universes going on. Please give me feedback and review! Happy Reading! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, or Fullmetal Alchemist the Conquerer of Shambala! **

_Italics: past_

**Bold: Germany**

Underline: Fullmetal Alchemist world

Regular: Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood world

Chapter 1

_"I suppose you're here for your brother. I wonder what you'll be sacrificing this time." Truth was an evil concept, an evil being. Edward Elric knew that better than anyone, and he was only fifteen. _

_"I'll sacrifice my portal of truth, it's mine to sacrifice, is it not?!" Ed shouted at the white figure. Truth just laughed. _

_"Yes, the portal of truth is yours, but is it enough? You're bargaining for a complete soul and body, something you don't even have yourself! What's worse, it's your brother! If it were any _normal_ person, you might've gotten away with that. But your brother is something very dear to you, very dear indeed. So important, you would sacrifice your own life for his." Ed was confused, Truth wasn't making any sense. "Alchemy is a tool, boy, no more and no less. For something as precious as your brother, you'll need to hand over something worth more than a screwdriver." Ed was shell shocked, he didn't have a clue what to sacrifice; he couldn't even use himself. "Hmm, let's see. That young Rockbelle girl, she would do nicely. But you aren't willing to give her up, are you? No, it'll have to be something of yours, something you treasure above all else."_

_"Take my chance," Ed blurted. "I always had a chance of getting our original bodies back; Al got his, so take mine. I give you my limbs forever, with no chance of ever getting them back. That good enough for you?" Truth grinned so wide, it took up most of his vacant head. _

_"Yes, young Alchemist, that is equivalent. Here is your brother, soul and all. Now get out and pray you never see me again."_

It had been eighteen years since that day, and Ed, seeing his brother grow stronger and start a family with Mei, has never regretted his choice. His own family had started with a boy named Dominic and a girl named Emma. A year later and it consisted of little Trisha, the only brunette in the household. Ed was deliriously happy, seeing his children play and squabble before him, his arm around Winry.

"Dom! Dom! DOMINIC!" Emma yelled at her brother, trying to get his blue eyes to open.

"What?" He muttered sleepily.

"Dad says we have to get ready, we're leaving soon," Emma said, blowing her blonde hair out of her face.

Emma looked exactly like her father: Long braided hair, a small antenna of golden locks sticking up above her forehead, a small stature and a feisty temper to go with it, even her golden eyes were the exact shade of her dad's Xerxesian lineage. Dominic, on the other hand, looked like his mother. A wrench in his pocket, light blonde hair and blue eyes. They both took after their parents in looks and personality. Then there was Trisha, the girl who looked exactly like her grandmother. She was on Emma's side in the fight over alchemy or auto mail and loved to read her father's books. The entire family was preparing a visit to Fürher Mustang, his wife Riza and their son Maes. There, they would meet Al, Mei, and their two kids, Nina and Sam. It was going to be a sort of vacation in Central, a fun weekend away from home, but it would be much more than that.

"Trisha, are you ready?" Winry Elric called.

"Almost, Mom, I've got five pages left!" Trisha replied, not looking up from her book.

"Trisha, we're leaving in five minutes, we don't have time-" Winry started, but her daughter snapped her book shut, putting it aside.

"Done," she said simply and went to grab her things. Winry shook her head, thinking of how alike she was to Ed.

Soon they were all at the train station, bags in hand, as the five waited for eleven o'clock. Moisture hung in the air and it seemed to soak into skin. The sun shone brightly, but it did nothing to disperse the chill running down everyone's spine. Some people dismissed it as a dip in the temperature, but Ed knew something was about to happen. Something bad.

"Dad?" Emma asked, noticing the look on her father's face. The poor girl was only eleven and she still knew when her father was picking up on something that troubled him deeply. "What's wrong?" Ed looked at her, the features of her face so similar to his own, and knew he couldn't lie to his daughter.

"Just a feeling, Em. Nothing to be worried about," Ed responded, smiling slightly. "You should be concerned about your Uncle Alphonse. When he finds out I taught you Alchemy..." Emma laughed.

"Don't worry, Dad, I won't tell him," Emma said, a mischievous glint in her eyes. She looked at her brother who was tinkering with an automail arm. "Hey, Gearhead, get your head out of the bolts for a chance, will you? We're going to meet Must- I mean the Fürher!" Dominic scowled.

"We're not even on the train yet, Alchemy Freak. Don't get too excited," he grumbled, turning back to his project. "Besides, this the first arm I've built by myself, it has to be perfect."

"Who's gonna need it?" Emma asked sarcastically.

"I don't know, maybe you if you keep annoying me," Dominic retorted.

"Fine, wear your welding goggles 'til the end of time," Emma said and turned her attention back to the train. She didn't know why they had to wait; it was here, they were there, but it was still ten minutes before it was scheduled to leave..

"Mom?" Trisha asked. "How do you know Fuhrer Mustang?" Winry smiled but Ed rolled his eyes, dreading the story.

"Well, you know your father joined the military when he was twelve years old, the youngest State Alchemist in history," Winry started, the kids nodded. "But before that, when he was eleven, Fürher Mustang came to his house to find the brilliant alchemist everyone was talking about. Of course he wasn't Fürher back then. He was a colonel and he's been a commanding officer to your father ever since. But he was always more than that, Mustang always cared for him, and, even if he won't admit it, I know your dad cares about Mustang too."

"Yeah, try and get him to say that," Ed snorted. "I just hope he doesn't turn into Hughes, gushing about Lieutenant Hawkeye and their son."

"Oh come on, you know you miss Mr. Hughes and his gushing. If he were still alive, I would let him gush whenever he wanted," Winry said.

"What happened to him?" Dominic asked. Ed's face hardened.

"He was murdered by bad people. But that was a long time ago, and those people are gone," Ed said, wrapping an arm around Winry.

"Dad, can you teach me alchemy?" Trisha asked.

"I'm not sure if I should, you're still so young," Ed answered with a smile.

"But I've read all of your books about it and Aunt Mei gave me some books about Alkahestry! I just need some guidance on the practical part!" Trisha insisted.

"Trisha, I don't want you learning to rely on Alchemy like I did. If you learn now, it will become a constant in your life that you might not be able to live without," Ed said, knowing it was true. "Maybe when you're older." Trisha huffed and crossed her arms. Winry gave Ed a sympathetic look.

"Trisha, try to understand. Dad's doing this for your own good," Emma said, then lowered her voice. "Besides, I'll teach you as soon as Mom and Dad give us some free time.

(Line Break)

"Uncle Alphonse!" Emma cried, running into the Fürher's office. The rest of the family followed suit. Ever since the fight with Father, the military had been working hard to restore power to the people. Luckily, the war heroes of Ishval were not punished for their crimes, only looked upon as soldiers doing their duty. Even so, Fürher Mustang has been doing everything within his power to prevent anything like the Ishvalan war of extermination.

"Brother, I'm glad you could come," Al says, releasing Emma and greeting the others.

"Me? You're the one who travelled from Xing," Ed points out, embracing his brother.

"You didn't have to come all this way, Alphonse," Lieutenant Hawkeye says, shaking hands with Mei.

"Nonsense, it was nothing. Besides, we wanted to visit Resembool too," Mei says with a wave of her hand.

"How are Ling and Lan Fan?" Winry asks.

"Ling has claimed his title as Emperor of Xing with Lan Fan right by his side. He's going to live for a long time with that philosopher's stone," Mei says, accepting her brother's position and kindness to her clan.

"Fullmetal, this isn't some family reunion. You are still a dog of the military and you are still under my command," Mustang says, but a small smile creeps from the corners of his mouth.

"Then why did you bring your son?" Ed gestures to where Maes and Nina are talking. "And why did you call us here anyway? Somebody else trying to create things?" He avoids the word "homunculi", knowing of the knowledge all their children possess about alchemy.

"No, people appearing out of thin air just after a purple light occurs. It's been reported in Lior several occasions now," Hawkeye says.

"You don't think this is some kind of immortal army or anything, do you? If there had been a transmutation circle underneath... Well, the people of Lior have't always known what's alchemy and what is't," Ed supplies.

"No, we don't think it's that. The people were wearing severely damaged suits of armor; almost all were dead and those who weren't died shortly after appearing. It seems most had been in a fight before coming," Mustang answers. If the Elric brothers can't help him figure this out, the only other person who might've been able to is Hughes or Van Hohenheim. Needless to say, they might be facing something more difficult than homunculi and egotistical beings with philosopher's stones as their souls.

"You mean someone else wasn't expecting them either," Winry says. Just as an idea dawns on them all, a purple light fills the room.

"Get out-" Ed starts to say, but he's pulled into the circle before he can warn anyone. He sees Winry and Mei and Al being pulled with him, unable to break the hold on them.

"Fullmetal!" Mustang shouts, but it's too late. The Elrics are gone. But not all of them. Two young men stand in their place, and they are the last people the Fürher ever expected to see in his office.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello, Readers! I probably won't be updating this fast in the future, but I had already written this chapter, so here you go! You might be a bit confused so far in the story, but hopefully I'll clarify in this chapter or at the end of it in an end A/N. I think that's all for now, so Happy Reading! R&R! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize from any anime or movie or manga. **

**Bold=** Germany

Underline=FMA universe (original)

Regular=Brotherhood universe

Chapter 2

"Al!"

"Brother!"

The boys embrace, but the others around them, the stunned, shocked and downright terrified adults and children have no idea why. One looks like the man who stood in his place, the other has dark blonde hair and eyes somewhere in between dark yellow, light brown, and gray. They don't take in their surroundings until Mustang points a gun at both of them.

"I want to know who you are and what you're doing here," He growls. Hawkeye follows his example.

"Mustang? I wasn't gone that long, surely you remember me," the one with lighter hair says.

"Give it up. Tell me who you are. I know for a fact you are not Edward Elric. You may look like him, but he hasn't worn that face in eighteen years," Mustang snarls.

"Brigadier General, you have your eye. Do you not recognize us?" the other, presumably younger, one asks.

"I have never seen you before," Mustang answers.

"It's Alphonse, sir. Alphonse Elric and my brother Edward," Alphonse says, still unaware of his location.

"You are not Alphonse Elric! How dare you impersonate my father!" Sam yells, his golden eyes filled with rage and fear. He wraps an arm around his younger sister, trying to stop her tears.

"Are we missing something? One minute, I'm trying to get back to Amestris through the portal-" Edward is cut off by Hawkeye's gasp.

"Portal? Is that what it was? What do you mean, get back to Amestris?" She asks.

"Yeah, it was a portal. I was in Germany, a country in a different world. Are you saying this isn't Amestris?" Ed asks, looking around. Besides the crying kids, it doesn't look much different than central command.

"This is Amestris, but you are eighteen years younger than you're supposed to be," Mustang says, lowering his gun.

"Fürher Mustang, are you saying this...is Dad?" Dominic asks, picking up on the meaning of the conversation. "And Uncle Alphonse?"

"Fürher? You mean this is the future?" Ed asks incredulously. "But that's not possible! It's one thing to travel to different worlds through the Gate, but to travel to a different time? It can't be done! There's no link!"

"You came through the Portal of Truth?" Mustang asks, having experienced the portal for himself.

"If that is what you call a big purple, glowing circle, then yes," Ed answers. "Where are we?"

"Central command, the Fürher's office. Where do you think, Xing?" Mustang snaps.

"What is Xing? I've never heard of it," Al asks, trying to remember.

"It's a country to the East of Amestris. Across the desert and past Xerxes. You mean you don't know this?" Hawkeye asks.

"No, as far as I know, there is no Xing and Xerxes is under Central," Ed frowns. "You mean, the geography is different here?"

"If the geography is different than how you know it, you're obviously in a different Amestris. You must have come from another dimension, a parallel one," Mustang concludes.

"You mean, we don't know anyone here? We're not back in our world?" Al asks, horror creeping into his voice.

"I'm afraid not. Everyone here knows Edward and Alphonse Elric to be in their early thirties and you don't look anything like Al," Hawkeye says.

"Where are they? The Elrics of this dimension?" Ed asks.

"Unfortunately, Edward and Alphonse, along with both of their wives, were pulled into the portal just as you came out of it. We don't have any idea how to get them back," Mustang says with a grimace. "Their children, though, are right behind you."

(Line Break)

**In Munich, Germany, things are a lot more complicated. The door to Shambala has closed, just after Edward Elric has stolen a rocket and escaped back into his own world. But two newcomers have fallen from the portal. They don't look normal, the woman is distinctly Asian and the man has golden hair and eyes. They stand up in defensive positions, ready for anything the universe might throw at them. They scan their surroundings: no immediate threat, a structurally sound building, but no one they recognize. **

**"****Mei, are you alright?" Alphonse asks. He catches sight of a boy bleeding on the ground and a girl cradling him in her arms. He notices her distinctive hair and face, but before he can call out to the look-a-like, someone yells at him. **

**"****Are you from Shambala?" a person shouts**

**"****That depends on why you're asking," Mei shoots back, raising her knives. **

**"****We don't want to hurt you," another says. "Please, lower your weapons."**

**"****I have your word no harm will come to us," Al asks. **

**"****Until you show any signs of hostility or violence, you have my word you will remain as you are: free and unhurt," the woman says. They relax their positions and stand up straight. **

**"****What is this place?" Mei asks. **

**"****You are in Munich, Germany. Where are you from?" the same woman says. **

**"****We are from the other side of that portal," Al states. **

Ed fell, his automail arm first, onto the hard packed ground of a place he knows all too well. As he takes in his surroundings they are familiar, but the people are not. Everyone here has dark skin, and the girl only a few yards away is too young to be the person he knows, even if they look almost identical. He sees his wife and childhood friend slowly stirring, attempting to put together the ever confusing pieces of what happened to them and where they are.

"Ed, where are we? What happened?" Winry whispers as she stands.

"I don't know," Ed mutters, wincing as his automail port flares up in pain. "But something's wrong with my arm."

"Who are you?" a girl asks.

"My name is Edward Elric," Ed pulled his pocket watch out, noticing the gasps from the people around him. "I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist. Please, we don't know what's happened to us. What is this place?"

"You can't be Ed," the same girl mutters, but she answers his question despite the nagging suspicion growing inside of her. "This is Lior, a town in the east, almost upon the desert." Suddenly the two people looked alarmed, almost as if she had said "This is a black hole, you are going to die now."

"Let me take a guess. Your name is Rose," Edward said. Rose took a step back.

"How do you know my name?" she asks.

"Because I remember it. I remember Lior, exposing that false priest Cornello. But that was more than two decade ago," Edward explained, becoming more and more confused as he listed out the facts, hoping for one clear answer that explained everything.

**A/N: Okay, so this might be a bit confusing. Just to clarify, Al from FMA enters the portal when the guys in suits of armor first appear in Lior and when he grabs on. In this story, Rose doesn't stop him. Ed from FMA enters the portal through the rocket given to him by Alphonse in Germany. Both of these events happened in the movie. If you didn't guess already, Al and Mei went to Germany and Ed and Winry went to FMA universe. I hope this clarifies things. R&R!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello, Readers! I'd like to thank LunarSnowCat56 and wolfwind12345 for reviewing and everyone for following/favoriting my story. Seriously, please review, even if it is criticism. I'm sorry it took me so long to update, I had a lot of tests at school this past week. For those of you who think my writing is immature or sloppy, I apologize, but I am only twelve years old and I have not had a lot of experience writing well, so I'm trying to improve. Any constructive criticism would be helpful, as I'm trying to get better. Please review if you have any questions, concerns or ideas. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, or Fullmetal Alchemist the Conquerer of Shambala!**

_Italics: past_

**Bold: Germany**

Underline: Fullmetal Alchemist world

Regular: Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood world

Chapter 3

"Fürher Mustang?" Dominic, still trying to put up a brave front for his little sisters, was about to crack. He couldn't do this, he just couldn't. He was only twelve, his father and mother and aunt and uncle were gone. The only family he had left was his cousins, both of whom were still a mess, and Trisha and Emma. He needed an adult to tell him what to do, to tell him it was going to be okay.

"What is it Dominic?" Mustang asked, pouring over Ed's latest Alchemy research, trying to figure out the code.

"When Ed and Al, God, it feels weird saying that. Anyway, when they fell through the portal, you asked about a portal of truth. Does that by any chance have something to do with where my mother and father went?" Dominic asked. Mustang sighed. He was dreading this.

"Listen, Dominic. The portal of Truth is a very hard concept to understand. We don't know what it is, where it leads to, or even what caused it. All we know is that it does exist and how to open it. It can only be opened by doing human transmutation," Mustang said, a grimace on his face. Dominic recoiled. "Now, I'm going to tell you something you have to swear not to repeat unless I tell you to. Your father has opened the portal three times." Dominic stared at him in shock, not quite registering the words that bounced around in his brain.

"You mean my father committed _human transmutation_?" he asked.

"Now, don't get the wrong idea. Shortly before hand, your grandmother passed away. And years before that, your grandfather, though Edward will never permit you to call him that, left his wife and sons. When Trisha passed away, your father and uncle were devastated. They wanted to see their mother's smile again. So yes, they committed the taboo. I won't have you hold this against them. They were so young, about the age of your sisters. The second time, he transmuted himself to get out of a failed portal of truth into which he, a creature called Envy, and Ling Yao were swallowed into. The third time was to save your uncle, but it was not human transmutation, don't worry. If he wants to, I'll let Ed tell you the rest when he gets back," Mustang said, looking at the boy shocked almost to tears in front of him. "As for whether it has something to do with wherever they went, I don't know. We can only assume at this point."

"Thank you for telling me, Fürher Mustang," Dominic said slowly. He walked out of the office in a daze, back to his sisters but unsure if he should share the shocking news with them.

* * *

><p>"So what you're saying is...we might never see our parents again?" Sam, only eleven years old, was trying to get more information about the port<p>

Ed grimaced. These kids were too smart for their own good. "I'm sorry, Sam, but for now, that might be a possibility. We don't know how our Gate and your portal of truth are connected."

"Explain one more time, what is this gate you keep referring to?" Dominic asked. It was weird for him to see his father like this. Young and damaged, still not completely healed from the tragedy that betook him and his brother when they were kids. The Edward Elric he knew was strong and brave, accepting his burden as a punishment for his own mistakes, but this Ed hadn't reached that point yet. He was still blaming himself.

"It's a little difficult. The Gate is a sort of portal. Every human has a smaller one inside themselves and they can open it with alchemic knowledge. You can also open the gate by committing human transmutation," Al explained.

"The other world, the one without alchemy, is connected to ours through the Gate. In order to get to it, you must pass through," Ed added, knowing all too well what that felt like.

"And our parents went to the other side, the side without alchemy?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Ed answered. He wasn't going to promise the kid anything, he didn't feel like lying. Sam's shoulders slumped. He had obviously reached the point where no one can come back from, the point where you have to grow up, take responsibility for everything you and your family does. And he was too young to have come across it.

"I need you to tell me something, and I need you to be completely honest," Dominic muttered. "No sugar-coating it, no telling me lies because I'm too young. The moment my mom and dad were pulled away from us against their will, I became the oldest. And I need to know the truth. Is there hope?" He didn't look up, didn't try to plead or use the puppy-dog-eyes on them. He was dreading the answer, and he didn't want them to see the fear in his eyes.

"There might be," Al said. Dominic looked up, the fear gone, replaced by disbelief.

"What do you mean?" Dominic asked.

"If you could open the Gate, you could go to the other world, to Germany, if you were advanced enough. I was forced through, and I still found my way back. It'd be risky, but I could teach you to open your own personal Gate to get back. You might not like what you find, though," Ed answered.

"Oh, don't teach me. I'm a mechanic, not an alchemist. You should tell that to my sister," Dominic said, pointing to where Emma congratulated Trisha on her first transmutation. The girls were trying to learn all they could about alchemy so they could better understand the portal.

"A mechanic, huh? So the Ed from this dimension ended up with Winry," Al said, nudging his brother.

"Shut up, Al," Ed grumbled. The sight was so bizarre, Dominic wanted to laugh.

"Yeah, my mom's Winry Elric. She says the two of us, Emma and me, inherited both of their personalities," Dominic said.

"You are taller than her, or is that because you're older?" Al asked. Ed looked warily at Al, like his height was the thing that defined him most. Dominic grinned, this was one subject he enjoyed rubbing in his sister's face.

"Nope, we're twins. Although, I was born first," he said smugly. A piece of the ground rose up a few feet and dropped on his foot. "OW, OW, OW, OW!" Dominic said, hopping up and down, clutching his foot. "Emma! Why'd you do that?!" Emma was standing behind him, a hasty transmutation circle drawn on the ground, brushing the dirt off of her hands.

"Because I was born first and you know it," she said. "So, there any way to get Mom and Dad back yet?"

"Maybe, but let's talk about it later," Dominic grumbled. "You get Mei's books on Alkahestry?"

"No, only the ones she lent Trisha, but there are a lot more at the Central Library. We should get Fürher Mustang to help us find more research materials, since he can grant us access," she said.

"Great, we'll plan a trip to the library tomorrow, and let Trisha do all the reading. She can finish books much faster than we can," Dominic said. Emma nodded, and went back to her sister.

* * *

><p><strong>"What happened to the airship we sent through? What of all the soldiers!" someone in the crowd yells.<strong>

**"What about our rockets?" another says. Soon, there are roars coming from every person in the room, it is all Al can do to resist the urge to plug his ears and tell everyone to shut up and let him think. It's very strange, this land, he thinks. Full of people with blonde hair and blue eyes. It also had a boy, not moving and bleeding sprawled on the floor and no one seemed to be giving him any thought. **

**The screaming and arguing went on for some time when Al decided enough was enough. He couldn't take this anymore. He crossed over to the boy and the girl cradling him, finding his wife was following him, probably fed up with this behavior as well. They were the only two not yelling, so he figured they were the only sensible ones hear.**

**"Is he hurt?" Al asked softly. The girl wiped her eyes and nodded.**

**"He, he was shot, but Alphonse is no longer with us," she said. She looked into Al's eyes and started crying again. "He's dead."**

**"I'm sorry," Alphonse said. He placed his hand on her shoulder in a comforting manor. "Is there anything I can do?" She nodded.**

**"Take me to your world," she said simply.**

**"What?" Al asked, surprised.**

**"You're like Edward, from a different world. I want to go to that place, where people will not hate me and insult me and hurt me because I am different. I want to leave this messed up world and go to yours," she said.**

**"Are you talking about Edward Elric?" Al asked in a hushed tone.**

**"Yes," she said. "Ed disappeared through the portal in a rocket. I wanted to go with him, but he wouldn't take me. You, though, you two are different. You have a home and a family to return to. You could take me with you."**

**"Mei, I think we need to get out of here. I need to find out more about this place, but I'm fairly sure we're in—" Before Al could finish, Mei cut him off.**

**"A different dimension, I guessed. The thing is, if we go, they'll come after us," Mei pointed to the still squabbling crowd of people. Al grinned.**

**"I think we stand a fair chance," he said. Mei nodded. They sprinted out of the building, the strange girl following them. **

* * *

><p>"So, I looked for more books on human Transmutation, but I couldn't find any. Seems like they were all destroyed or removed or something," Emma said, sighing and plopping into a chair. She had agreed to search the libraries in Central, looking for anything that might help them. Her sister had called their uncle Ling, informing him of the situation and asking for advice. Dominic was still trying to learn all he could from hos around him and devising a plan with Sam.<p>

"Maybe they were all burned in that fire like the rest of the First Branch," Trisha supplied. "Dad mentioned it a few times."

"Yeah, they probably did. Just our luck, it seems," Emma said.

"You know, we should try asking Sheska," Dominic said.

"Who?" Emma asked. The young girl was frustrated beyond belief and scared out of her wits.

"Sheska. She works in the Court Marshall's office. Lieutenant Hawkeye told me about her. Apparently, she remembers everything she reads and she worked in the First Branch," Dominic said. "She helped the military by re-writing all the old case files. If she can do that, she can help us."

"Dom, this was when _Dad_ was a kid. How could this woman remember an entire section on human transmutation from twenty years ago?" Emma asked.

"Still, it's worth a shot," Dominic insisted.

"Fine, you go waste your time with a useless lead while I go back home and get Dad's old books. He learned alchemy from that, so there must be something in there. Right, Trish?" Emma asks her sister.

"There might be. I do recall a little bit about living transmutation, like chimeras, but not much of use. I don't think Dad would have illegal teachings in his library, no matter the subject," Trisha says. "I agree with Dom, we'll go look for Sheska. You can go find out about Dad's old alchemy teacher with Sam."

Emma huffed. "Fine, Fine, do what you want. But don't come complaining to me about what a waste of time this turns out to be."

* * *

><p><span>"You're saying you're Edward Elric?" Rose asked.<span>

"Yes. But I haven't seen you in a long time, Rose. Your younger than you should be, and tanner, too," Ed said, his brows furrowing as he tried to make sense of the situation.

"You can't be Ed, it's impossible," Rose said, backing away from him.

"Rose, wait. Can you, can you tell me what happened here?" Ed asked.

"Well, just now there were several people in suits of armor appear after a purple light," Rose said. Ed stiffened. "Alphonse was taken with them when they disappeared, I, I tried to stop him, but he thought it would take him to his brother." Ed's eyes were wide with shock. Winry was beginning to realize it too.

"One more question, Rose," Ed's voice was thin and low. "The country to the east, across the desert, what is it called?"

"To the east? I don't know," Rose admitted, her expression puzzled.

"You haven't heard of Xing?" Winry asked. Rose shook her head, bewildered by the strangeness of the two newcomers.

Ed and Winry locked eyes. They both new what this meant. Different time periods, different geography, different events and people. The purple light that had brought the suits of armor to Amestris, at least, their Amestris.

"How are we ever going to get back?" Winry asked her husband. Ed smiled.

"Come on, we'll figure something out," he said.

"Get back where? Figure what out?" Rose asked, still extremely confused.

"You might think we're crazy, but we came from a different dimension, one parallel to this one," Ed said.

"Ed, what about the kids?" Winry asked.

"They'll be fine. Assuming Mustang didn't get pulled in with us, he'll take care of them. Besides, they're smart enough to figure this out on their own," Ed replied.

Rose was still extremely confused as the couple took off in the direction of the train station.

* * *

><p><strong>Al and Mei sprinted until they came across the city of Munich. It seemed normal, the people entering and exiting buildings anatomically sound. The cars with revving engines seemed to cross their path more often than back home, but that was the only strange thing. They passed shop after shop, each one teeming with life. It wasn't until they reached the florists' that they saw a familiar face.<strong>

**A man and a woman, talking quietly, made Al stop in his tracks. The man, especially. His black hair, green eyes hidden behind glasses reflecting the light from the street, looked so like they did eighteen years ago. And the woman, her brown hair shaped exactly like it had when Al said goodbye and thanked Gracia Hughes for her kindness.**

**The girl had caught up with them. "That's Ms. Gracia and Mr. Hughes," she said.**

**"I just realized we haven't yet learned your name," Mei said. The girl smiled.**

**"Call me Noah," she said.**

**"I'm Mei, and this is Alphonse," Mei said. Al isn't listening. He's focused on the pair in the shop. Hughes is wearing a uniform, like he did in his world, but he isn't smiling like he used to. Instead, he wears a grim face as he talks to Gracia. She isn't smiling either, her kind features are frozen in a scowl so disapproving it makes Al cringe.**

* * *

><p>"The alchemy books in the first branch?" The woman, brown hair now tinged gray from many sleepless nights recording things from her memory, frowned at the children before her. "Yes, I remember them. Was there anything in particular you were looking for?"<p>

"Anything on human transmutation," Dominic said. He and Trisha were at Sheska's home, trying to chase down a lead that had been burned away more than a decade ago. At the mention of the taboo, Sheska stiffened.

"Why would you want to know about a concept that is taboo to alchemists?" she asked, her voice tight.

Dominic decided to tell her the truth. "We're trying to find our parents."

"I'm sorry, but I would advise against trying to bring them back. I've heard it can't even be done," Sheska said, her eyes on the floor.

"No, our parents are very much alive. But they aren't in this dimension, we've got to open this Gate thing and cross, too," Dominic said. Sheska just stared at him while Trisha face palmed.

"Great," she muttered. "Now the one person who might be able to help us thinks we're crazy." Dominic elbowed her in the ribs.

"No, I don't think you're crazy." Sheska looked down again. "You hear a lot of strange things, working for the military. And with the whole homunculus business twenty years ago, I'm ready to believe just about anything."

"Homunculus?" Trisha asked, her eyes wide and her voice small and incredulous. Sheska looked back up at them.

"Oh dear, I shouldn't have said that. Ignore my babblings, children. I'm afraid I can't help you. While I do remember most of the alchemy section, there was nothing about human transmutation in all the books I read. I do hope you find your parents." She got up and led us to the door.

* * *

><p>"I told you!" Emma was smug, her smirk irritating Dominic severely.<p>

"Yeah, yeah, you were right," Dominic grumbled.

"But she wasn't completely useless," Trisha said, her mind still reeling over what she had heard. "She told us there was an incident involving homunculi twenty years ago." The smirk melted off of Emma's features.

"But that's impossible," Emma's voice was small, her eyes wide and her expression very similar to the one her sister had worn in the presence of the former librarian.

"Why? What're homunculi?" Dominic asked, knowing it must have something to do with alchemy or he would've heard about it.

"Artificially made humans," Emma said. "They're not supposed to exist, they're just a myth, a legend."

"Then how come Sheska mentioned them?" Dominic asked. "She said twenty years ago. That would be around the time Dad was fifteen. So, Fürher Mustang should know about it." He walked toward the office, his sisters following him.

"Ah, Dominic, how can I help you?" Mustang asked, eyes on the stack of paperwork in front of him.

"Well, we tried to see Sheska, the woman who remembers everything she reads, and get some information that might've been burned in the first branch," Dominic started.

"She told us about homunculi," Trisha blurted. "She told us that twenty years ago there was an incident involving them and we want to know about it and if it has anything to do with our parents." This drew Roy's black eyes from the piles of paper in front of him to the fuming kids in his office.

"It does have to do with your parents," he said quietly. "The rest, I'm not sure if I should tell you. I'd have to have your parents' consent."

"Please tell us, it might lead us to something!" Emma pleaded.

Mustang sighed. "You really want to know?" The kids nodded desperately. "Fine."

Throughout the story there are a number of emotions crossing all features, but no one interrupts the Fürher as he recounts one of the most horrible experiences in his life, besides Ishval, of course. The children were silent, shocked, but silent. It took longer than he expected, but there was a lot to tell. When there is nothing more to explain, the juvenile alchemists and mechanic leave without a word.


End file.
